Anthriscus cerefolium

chervil • garden chervil • French parsley

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Anthriscus cerefolium (L.) Hoffm. (Apiaceae); kerwel (Afrikaans); cerfeuil (French); Gartenkerbel (German); cerfoglio (Italian); chaviru (Japanese); chabil (Korean); cerefólio (Portuguese); perifollo, cerafolio (Spanish)

DESCRIPTION The fresh or dried leaves are used. They are bright green, pinnately compound (divided into numerous narrow segments) and superficially resemble flat-leaf parsley.

THE PLANT Chervil or garden chervil is a sparsely hairy annual herb with bright green leaves that are divided into numerous flat segments. The plant bears small white flowers in characteristic umbels. These are followed by small dry fruits (sometimes called seeds) that are oblong in shape and about 10 mm (just under ½ in.) long.

ORIGIN Chervil originated from central Asia (Iran to southern Russia). It is an ancient culinary herb with a long recorded history of use by the Greeks and Romans. Chervil is mentioned in the famous Historia naturalis of the Roman writer Pliny the Elder (ad 23–79).1 The herb was introduced from the eastern Mediterranean to the rest of Europe. It has become naturalized in the United States.

CULTIVATION Chervil is easily grown in the kitchen garden from seeds sown at regular intervals, from spring onwards. The plant thrives in rich, well-drained soil and prefers cool, partially shaded conditions so that it is often grown in spring and autumn but not mid-summer.2 In large urban centres it is readily available from commercial plantings.

HARVESTING Leaves are harvested during vegetative growth, before the plants start to flower (60 to 90 days after sowing). They are immediately taken to the cool room and kept moist until use.

CULINARY USES Chervil should be used fresh. The aromatic and spicy leaves with their delicate aniseed flavour are a favourite among French chefs because it is one of the essential components of fines herbes (together with parsley, tarragon and chives).3 The parsley-like leaves are widely used as a condiment and garnish with fish or egg dishes, soups and omelettes. Chopped leaves can be sprinkled over any salad, vegetable (especially green peas), soup or meat dishes and included in dips and stuffings. Chervil is an important ingredient of vinaigrette (“French dressing”), a vinegar-based dressing for salads or cold dishes. Other French sauces that typically contain chervil include béarnaise (a hot creamy sauce served with fish or meat dishes) and gribiche (a cold mayonnaise-like sauce served with cold fish or calf’s head).3 It can be used as a substitute for French tarragon, which is chemically similar. Chervil is also an ingredient of Frankfurt green sauce.

FLAVOUR COMPOUNDS Chervil fruits contain about 1% essential oil with estragole (methylchavicol) and 1-allyl-2,4-dimethoxybenzene as major compounds and smaller amounts of anethole (aniseed flavour) and other constituents.4 The oil is used commercially as a food ingredient to flavour beverages, condiments, confectionery and meat products. Estragole and anethole have irritant properties so that the oil should be used in small amounts only.

NOTES Chaerophyllum bulbosum is a similar but unrelated plant, known as turnip-rooted chervil. It has edible roots that are eaten as a vegetable in central and northern Europe.

1. Mabberley, D.J. 2008. Mabberley’s plant-book (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

2. Farrel, K.T. 1999. Spices, condiments and seasonings. Aspen Publishers, Gaithersburg, USA.

3. Larousse. 1999. The concise Larousse gastronomique. Hamlyn, London.

4. Harborne, J.B., Baxter, H. 2001. Chemical dictionary of economic plants. Wiley, New York.